Lent Day One: Anthony De Mello

February 14, 2024

“Both what you run away from—and yearn for—is in you.”  Anthony De Mello, Society of Jesus

I begin these Lenten day blogs with a quotation from Fr. Anthony de Mello that seemed to peg me. I sometimes wonder if we really are as complex as we imagine we are, or if, instead, we simply managed to make ourselves complex.  The simple, not complex, truth is that while we may be light and shadows within, mainly, we simply are.

Each one of us has our own unique story, a compilation of our life’s experiences, and with that story comes our personal assortment of baggage, labeled clearly with our own name.  It requires courage to stop hauling that baggage around and instead open it and sort through it to see what is in us.

What I find inside is what I often try to run away from or ignore—shadows and old records of failures, guilt, shame, embarrassments, self-doubts, wounds, lost dreams.  These don’t define me; they are simply a part of me.  What is inside doesn’t mean to wear me down or disillusion me, but only seeks attention, compassion, forgiveness, and healing.  Maybe I need to shake out some of these rumbled garments stuffed in the corner of my suitcase, smooth them out, and give them a second look

What I yearn for is also inside me—God, Light, Truth, Love, Connection—and seeks the recognition that I already have and am connected to all of these things.  I don’t need to project them on others; I don’t need to envy what spiritual connections other have; I don’t need to search outside for glimpses of these truths because they lie within my soul as sacred gifts to be relished, nurtured, and shared because I am, as you are, made in the image of God, “trailing clouds of glory/From God, who is our home,” (William Wordsworth).  Maybe I need to notice that they’ve always been carefully stored and neatly arranged on top of everything else I carry around, and give thanks.

What we run from, what we seek, are all part of who we are.  We aren’t just light; we aren’t just shadows. We simply are. How we respond to who we are makes all the difference.  Lent seems to be an appropriate time to respond with compassion.

As always, I would enjoy hearing your thoughts, as well.

Blessings ~  Rosemary